The canals, the lake, and the dungeon. What began as a slave-trading chase had spiraled into a struggle that engulfed all of Flocia. By the time we’d carried the wounded river bandits out of the dungeon and brought them back to the town, I think the date had already changed.
The area around the Temple of Odis was in an uproar. After all, nearly thirty injured people had been rushed in at once.
We are now sitting in a small chamber within the temple. I’m here to recount everything that happened yesterday to Safi, our companion who couldn’t come with us.
“U-Undine!?”
I couldn’t help but cover my ears.
Safi’s big, dark eyes went perfectly round as her mouth dropped open in shock. For someone with the body of a five or six-year-old child, how could she possibly produce a voice that loud?
I was sitting, so my height was exactly the same as Safi’s when she was standing.
“Y-yes…”
Her reaction was so over the top that I could only nod timidly. I shifted uneasily in my chair.
“We found her in the dungeon. Once she woke up, she offered to help us right away.”
By the way, in the span of just one day, this temple room had turned into Safi’s workshop. A magic-stone furnace, an anvil, a spinning grindstone. Materials brought in from outside had been fashioned into a workbench perfectly sized for her small frame, and various tools now cluttered its surface.
“I—I mean, I was surprised at your great performance. I-I can’t believe it, even we dwarves find it difficult to handle!”
Sapphie took a magnifying glass—apparently also called a magnifying glass—from the workbench and peered into the crystal on the gauntlet.
“Whoa, it’s for real. The water-spirit, Undine, is definitely inside. How the heck did you pull that off?”
“Is it really that difficult? I always thought ‘water’ related ones is not that scary….”
Safi raised a finger with all the gravity of a professor unveiling an experiment.
“Normal water, that is. Heavy rain, flooding rivers, tsunamis, groundwater in mines. In any case, water spirits can be very dangerous if you anger them. Their true nature is to flow. They don’t want to stay in one place, they must move. And their movement is much stronger than wind. If a spirit like that went into a crystal easily… just how did you do it?”
Safi tilted her head, setting both the gauntlet and her “magnifying glass” back on the workbench.
“Loki granted me a new power. It’s called Spirit’s Friend.”
“Huh?”
She swayed her head side to side, clearly unconvinced.
“Hmm… sure, divine power helps, but it’s only an aid, isn’t it? Maybe you were just born that way. There were people in the ancient age too, who naturally drew in the power of spirits and gods.”
My heart skipped a beat.
It reminded me of Lu.
Skill 『Miko』. The powerful skill that resides in my little sister contains the “power of creation” that gave birth to the world. The two of us, brother and sister. Just as our father’s skill is called『Awakening』, maybe our bodies, our very natures, carried a trace of similarity in how we handled power.
Safi spent a while examining the gauntlet I had handed her, studying it with quiet focus.
“—All right!”
At last, she passed the armor back to me.
“No issues. The equipment’s fully attuned to the new spirit. You should thank your sister for that.”
We exchanged a smile, and I quickly set about re-equipping myself The gauntlets slid snugly onto both arms, and I sheathed the short sword across my back.
I took of the warrior corps’ cloak and was left with just black leather armor guarding my torso. The Hat of Bewilderment was folded neatly and tucked away into my pouch.
“—Rion.”
Just as I was about to step outside, lost in my thoughts, Safi called out to me.
The dwarf blacksmith rubbed her cheek awkwardly, eyes slightly widened—she looked more startled than I was.
“What is it?”
“Ah, um…”
Was she… nervous?
Her dark eyes darted about before she finally spoke.
“W-well… just make sure you come back safe, okay?”
“…Yeah!”
I nodded firmly and started up the stairs.
A moment later, an exasperated “Ugh, honestly!” echoed up from the basement. It was Safi’s voice, half a yell, half a sigh.
The temple clerics nearby all turned in alarm.
The gold coins trembled faintly, and then, almost in unison, everyone began to murmur the same words.
『Do not return, Rion.』
『You mustn’t go back.』
『Ah… how adorable.』
『Even Loki find this amusing—but teasing them now would be rather boorish, wouldn’t it?』
W–what do they mean…?
Well, I think it’s fine—probably…
Then, the voice of the Sun Goddess reached me.
『…Rion.』
“What is it, Solana?”
『Mmm… n-no, it’s nothing.』
I nearly tilted my head in confusion again.
But I stopped myself—if it were Father, what would he do in a moment like this? For some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something unseen was moving behind the scenes— something quietly unfolding beyond my reach.
“Really? I didn’t… do something wrong, did I?”
『I-it’s fine, really!』
Still puzzled by the goddess’s tone, I made my way toward the courtyard.
Once my gear check was done, it would be time for training.
I listen to the gods’ voices, review yesterday’s movements, and make sure my body remembered every step.
◆◆◆
Mia leaned against the temple wall, stifling a yawn. Her hair, tipped and flicked outward like a cat’s ears, fell across her face as she brushed it aside. Within the grand sanctuary—where the statue of the High God Odis loomed above—voices of protest rang out, echoing off the marble walls.
“The canals are under our jurisdiction!”
“Is it true that a military vessel entered the dungeon!?”
They’d been going on like this since morning. No wonder a yawn kept threatening to escape.
The battle that had broken out during the night had clearly thrown all of Flocia’s communication networks into chaos. One after another, the town’s powerful figures had come storming into the Temple of Odis.
The Water Transit Bureau.
The Adventurers’ Guild.
The major trading houses.
All of them shouting over one another, snapping at the priests who tried in vain to calm them down. They are all demanding the same thing: “Send out the Raven Warriors!”
“As the Flocia Water Transit Bureau, we lodge a formal protest against this temple’s actions!”
One official shouted, his face red with indignation.
Mia shot a sharp, sidelong glare at the shouting middle-aged man.
Among Flocia’s power brokers, some were known collaborators of the slave traders—and this particular bureau was high on her list of suspects. The Water Transit Bureau controlled everything that moved along the canals. If river bandits had managed to sail warships upstream, or if military craft had been lurking within the waterways at all, it would’ve been under their watch.
“W-what are you staring at!?”
The bureau chief snorted, clearly cowed but unwilling to show it.
“An adventurer like you! Do you have any idea how much gold we pour into the Guild!?”
His heavy footsteps echoed as he stormed out of the temple.
The Temple of Odis—now the operating base of the Raven Warriors—was set to be completely closed to outsiders by this afternoon.
And just then, the afternoon bell tolled.
At the priests’ urging, the town’s dignitaries, still bristling with indignation, began filing out one by one.
“.…Mia, do you have a moment?”
Once the temple had regained its usual hush, Felix approached her.
Mia gave a feline grin.
“You look just as worn out as I am.”
They had split the work earlier. Mia keep watch over the uproar in the sanctuary, while Felix and his team handled the interrogation of the captured river bandits.
Felix gave an easy shrug, the small coronet beneath his dark hair catching the light.
“We’ve finished questioning the overseer. We also heard from Nils-dono. Still, research and inquiries are what I do best.”
The temple was divided into two parts: the public halls, where the statue of the god Odis stood in solemn grandeur, and the inner corridors used only by the clergy.
Felix led Mia into one of the small rooms in the back before continuing their conversation.
“The unexplored section of the Flocia Dungeon is far larger than we expected. It appears to have multiple exits, all connected through the lakebed. We’ll share the full survey results once they’re confirmed.”
A furrow creased his brow.
“…We may no longer be able to keep the truth of the dungeon—and the secrets of its seals—hidden from the public.”
Mia leaned her back against the wall.
Skills were gifts from the gods, after all. Because of that, adventurers tended to hold a special reverence—almost a fondness—for the god, Odis-sama.
“Well, it can’t be helped, can it? I don’t think adventurers are so narrow-minded that they’d get angry just over that.
Perhaps that was what Felix had wanted to hear. The opinion of someone who spoke not just as a member of the Raven Warriors, but as an adventurer.
“I understand the worry, but some things just aren’t worth fretting over.”
Felix gave a small nod.
“True enough. Between adventurers, that boy, the gods, and the dwarves—well, it feels arrogant to say so, but devising a plan that fits them all is proving…. difficult.”
He trailed off there, falling silent as though deep in thought.
“There’s one more matter I wanted your opinion on. About Nils-dono….”
He crossed his arms, eyes fixed on the wall in front of him as though the right words might be etched there.
“You’re wondering if he can be trusted?”
Mia finished it for him.
“Yes. If we bring him in, that would make him an official member of our party.”
Mia gave a wry smile at his tone, as if surprised to hear such hesitation from him.
“Hey, I’m an adventurer too. Just because you’ve fought alongside someone once doesn’t mean you can trust them completely. I’m not that naïve.”
Then she fell silent and gave him a meaningful look. The kind of look that said “you’ve got something more to tell me, don’t you?”
“There are two things that I find strange. First—his so-called ally. Nils-dono claims to know about the slave traders, and even that they have a base of operations here in Flocia. But if someone like that truly existed, they should’ve crossed paths with the Raven Warriors long ago. We’ve been hunting the slave traders relentlessly for two years now.…”
“I see….”
Mia murmured, brow furrowing.
“The second is.…. the timing. It’s too perfect.”
He let out a small, self-deprecating laugh, shoulders lifting in that familiar, ironic way of his.
“You could call it a hunch. It’s true the slave traders have grown more active lately—and for a powerful swordsman to appear at just this moment….”
Mia scratched the back of her head, her hair rustling.
“You’re saying the story sounds a little too neat?”
“Mm. As members of the Raven Warriors, it’s part of our duty to keep intrigue at bay. Doubting what lies beneath the surface—that’s my role, after all.”
But then he paused, his tone softening.
“Still, it’s all just conjecture. Nothing more. All the same, if he’s to be our ally, I’d rather keep him where we can see him—within our own party. That’’s why I wanted to hear your impression of him.”
Mia could still remember the killing intent Nils had towards the river bandits. Must be from the desperation of having his sister taken as a slave. That kind of anger could drive a man to rash decisions. The risk wasn’t zero.
Even so—
“I think we can work with him.”
Mia’s answer was clear and unwavering.
“Even if he’s hiding something, so what? Our enemy is the same, isn’t it? Fighting side by side toward the same goal—even if it’s only temporary—that still makes us a party.”
She grinned, jabbing Felix lightly in the side. The gesture said what words, “Don’t worry so much.”
“Don’t carry it all on your shoulders. Even this older-sister adventurer thinks about half as much as you do, you know.”
Felix winced, a hand pressed to his side where she had poked him, his mouth twisting in mild embarrassment.
“For the record, I’m technically older than you.”
“Oh really?”
Mia blinked in honest surprise, earning a sigh from Felix. He lifted his gaze, and she followed it upward—toward the stained glass high above.
Sunlight streamed through in rich colors, scattering across the temple wall in a mosaic of red, gold, and blue.
“The last opinion we need is Rion’s.”
“.…Hey, Felix”.
“Yes?”
“You don’t have to worry so much. Rion is already thinking about that kind of thing. Adventurers get used to meetings and farewells. It’s part of life.”
The two of them stepped out of the room. Just then, they caught sight of a figure heading toward the courtyard— the swordsman, Nils.
From that same courtyard came the steady thwack of wooden blades meeting air.
Rion was training.
“I see. Perhaps the boy has his own way of judging people.”
Felix smiled.
Soon, the sound of the wooden swords becomes “two.”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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